Hour of Shadows
by BelethKitty
Summary: A mistake and a searing explosion set the clock in motion- awakened something that should have stayed asleep, and twisted those it came in contact with. Though he wouldn't remember it- in fact he can't recall anything but Mothers' calming words… (title sucks pls forgive me)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! This is my rewritten AU from before- things will be way more diverging in this AU- things to take note of:**

**-No velvet room (everyone has one Persona- even Hamuko)**

**-Dark hour and shadows work and act differently in this**

**-There is no 12 arcana bosses or death**

**-Some characters have been moved around and changed (ex Ryoji is a normal boy)**

**-Ikutsuki is not around in the dorm but exists in this story**

**with that out of the way lets start things off!**

* * *

Hamuko hummed as music blared in her ears- despite her current situation with home life she seemed rather happy and care free, swinging her legs as they dangled from the seat. in all honesty she was just happy to be off the train- moving vehicles always upset her stomach… But now all she had to do was wait. She was supposed to be meeting someone here after all.

'_Take your headphones off.'_

She thought to herself, opting only to take out one- waiting would be extremely boring without music after all.

'_Do you even know what this person looks like?'_

'_No- I haven't met them before- you should know this- you're me.'_

Hamuko chuckled at her last thought- humoring herself was something she did quite often. But as the humor wore off she was still left waiting- with a sigh she looked at the small piece of paper she had tucked away in her coat pocket.

"Mitsuru Kirijo." Sounded important- probably cause Kirijo was a pretty big group. They seemed to be all over the place and especially in Iwatodai. Hamuko hummed, deep in thought as she wondered what on earth this person would look like.

"Excuse me- You wouldn't happen to be Hamuko Arisato would you?" The voice was mature sounding, even though Hamuko was told she was meeting someone only a year older than her- she immediately panicked and fumbled with her headphones as she tried to take them off. "Ah-y-yeah! Yeah that's me!" She said- taking a good look over whoever greeted her.

Her looks were something else- you could tell she was young but she had an eir of maturity around her, and bright red hair that curled as it fell. She wore some kind of coat but it was obvious she was still dressed for school underneath it (the shoes and socks gave it away)

"Are you…"

"Mitsuru Kirijo- It's nice to finally meet you." She stuck out her hand, obviously expecting a formal handshake. '_Don't biff this Ham- you got this-' _though she shook Mitsuru's hand without incident, her mind was running at hyper speed- the last thing she wanted to do was look like a fool in front of the person who had basically helped her pay to move all the way out here. "Oh uh- you too!" Hamuko finally responded.

Mitsuru let out a small chuckle before heading back into 'professional' mode. "Now I know we went over things briefly on the phone but just in case-" The red head beckoned her to follow- despite how professional she could be, it only just dawned on her that this was a conversation they should have in the privacy of the limo. Walking through the halls and down to the road was quite easy- even with Hamuko's heavy bags. She was awed by the limo and the service- people taking her bags? People opening doors for her? Was this actually real? She thought for a moment before tuning back into the world around her- Mitsuru sitting across from her in the back.

"Sorry for the wait- I should have waited to get in privacy before beginning to discuss such important details." She looked downcast- Hamuko opened her mouth to reassure her that everything was fine- but before she could the red head continued. "As you know we've asked for your cooperation help in SEES in exchange for a place to stay while you go to school here. Everyone you will be rooming with has the same power or problem that you do."

Hamuko bit her lip at the mention of a 'problem' she shouldn't have been surprised by its mention- it was the whole reason she was here, but it being referred to as a problem brought up memories that left a bad taste in her mouth. "Our goal is to figure what it is- but my goal- THE goal is to have your regular life stay undisturbed- for the most part anyways." Mitsuru pulled out a piece of paper- looking over the signature one last time. It was hard to find people who experienced it- and even harder to get others on board to fight something so alien, she was grateful to anyone who was willing to, but deep down felt guilty about making them clean up a mess they didn't was a flash of pain thinking about how this all started before she quickly composed herself and continued on. "We will provide weapons and equipment needed as well as training-" Just as she was finishing up- the driver came over the speaker. "Mitsuru, the Dark Hour is approaching, the car may jolt a little but we should be fine."

She pressed down a button and quickly thanked the man on the other end. "-and your safety." Mitsuru finally finished. Hamuko sort of chuckled and scratched her head nervously. "Man you really got this down-"

"Not really." Mitsuru replied- loosening up a little, even as that time approached."It never gets any easier to explain- in fact I tend to avoid it and focus on the other aspects of the agreement."

Hamuko shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that-I'm used to just- pretending it doesn't happen-" She scratched at her arm- a habit she did when uncomfortable, and the Dark Hour was an odd subject to talk about- even after the ten years she had been experiencing it. The senior high schooler nodded in agreement.

The Limo lurched forward, Mitsuru seemed undisturbed but Hamuko almost launched from the seat- the only reason she didn't being her death grip on the seat. "Are you OK?" Mitsuru asked the junior. "I'm fine! Nothing broken- just wasn't expecting it." She laughed it off, before realizing her mp3 had stopped working- but despite the sudden stop the car had started again and was driving perfectly. "No way…"

"The Kirijo group has been working on devices that could function during the Dark Hour for some time." Mitsuru stated matter of factly- seemingly proud of the achievement. "The dorm shall be filled with products that work during it too- though those are mostly lights." She finished.

The first thing that came to Hamuko's mind at the mention of such things was the possibility of a working mp3 player- she would kill if she could listen to some tunes during this dreary hour. But that would be rude- to ask something like that right after meeting someone… Music would have to wait till a better time.

The casual chatter went on until the limo finally came to a stop- and the doors were pulled open for her and Mitsuru. The Clerk seemingly unaffected by the time too. The senior thanked him before beckoning the other girl over. The building was smaller than she thought it would be- in terms of height, there was probably about four floors high- having never seen a dorm before she didn't know if this was normal or not. "It looks nice!" Was all she managed to say- in all honesty the look of the Dark hour and the blood dripping from the walls and piling up in puddles on the sidewalk was a sight she hated and could never get used to- but she didn't want to seem rude.

"It looks a lot less… horror movie esque during regular hours- I can assure you."Was that Mitsuru's attempt at a joke? "I'd be concerned if it did." Hamuko replied in a snarky manor, but all she received was a quick grin before opening the door.

There was indeed lights on, though only the main light in the lounge seemed to be working, there were desk lamps and small lights lighting up the rest of the floor. It almost felt safe- even during the Dark hour. There were two boys sitting on the couch, one with white hair fiddling with a boxing glove, and the other black haired one was clearly passed out, mouth and arms sprawled wide over the back of the couch as he snored very loudly. She raised an eyebrow- before being quickly interrupted by the driver once more- handing her luggage over and then finally driving off.

"Nice to see you back." The white haired boy said, though he glanced in Hamuko's direction he was obviously addressing Mitsuru. "Thank you- I'd like to introduce the new member but, where is Yukari?"

"She went to her room- said she was tired." The athletic boy responded- the black haired boy continued to snore. "... Ah…" Mitsuru seemed disappointed- maybe even a bit puzzled. "Well I'd rather not wake her up if she's gone to her room to head in for the night- on the other hand-" She took long strides to reach the coffee table in the middle of the lounge- Hamuko- not really sure what else to do followed her, and ended up sitting on the couch on the other side- right before Mitsuru sat down in the chair between the two couches- making her look like the leader. "Since you're down here I'll-" The boys snores became louder- Mitsuru seemed less than impressed as she glared at him. The other boy picked up on it- immediately punching the other in the shoulder to wake him up. He jolted upward- "Ow-! Akihiko what the hell-!" He began- before realizing it wasn't just them in the lounge anymore. "Oh- uh-M-Mitsuru uh-"

"I see you were enjoying your little nap instead of guarding the dorm like I asked" Mitsuru spoke, though calm, there was something threatening about her tone- Hamuko couldn't help but shiver. "It's-I-uh-"

"Give it up, no use making excuses- you fell asleep- enough said." The boy presumably named Akihiko spoke. "Bro! You're supposed to back me up here!"

"If you're dozing off so frequently I'll have to set a curfew for you Mochizuki- I wouldn't want you failing in school now-"

"No! I Swear I didn't mean to- I don't need a curfew I'm fine!" The boy the double cowlicks pleaded- Hamuko couldn't help but chuckle, and then feel incredibly flustered when all three sets of eyes landed on her. "Ah…"

"Regardless, I'd like to introduce our newest member- Hamuko Arisato, second year at Gekkoukan starting tomorrow. And Hamuko, these two are-" Mitsuru didn't have time to finish before the black haired boy was over by Hamuko's side, flirting like he was known to do in school. "Ah, the world is unfair, to choose a beautiful maiden for such a daunting task- but worry not! I, Ryoji Mochizuki shall protect-"

"Give it a rest already." Akihiko interrupted, pulling him back as Ryoji whined- Hamuko just sat there- dumbfounded while Mitsuru wore a stern expression. Being interrupted for the third time made the young group president as annoyed as she could be. Akihiko seemed oblivious to it, and after sitting down a still whining Ryoji added in his own name with a quick "Akihiko Sanada, I box." Before continuing to fiddle with said boxing glove.

Hamuko wore a smile, "Well um- thanks for having me! Or letting me stay here-" She scratched her arm- they were all so nice but she felt almost if she had intruded in on something. (which is ridiculous- they were doing nothing- one was napping even) Mitsuru seemed to pick up on that nervousness- taking the conversation into her own hands. "Ryoji and Takeba- who you will meet tomorrow- are in the same grade as you. Akihiko is a senior much like myself."

"Let's hope we're in the same class, ey Hamu?" Ryoji spoke out of nowhere, by the way the other two looked at him this seemed like a normal occurrence… Great. "Uh- yeah thanks- I think I'm gonna head to bed then-"

"Let me show you to your room then-" Mitsuru stood up- she also seemed eager to leave Ryoji by himself. Poor boy wore a face of defeat being totally ignored by the new girl in the dorm and getting the stink eye from Mitsuru. Before Hamuko could even grab her luggage, Mitsuru had the bigger of the two grasped firmly- pulling it along to the stairs. Hamuko, flustered, grabbed the smaller one and followed her senior up the stair case.

They reached the third floor, Hamuko slightly winded and Mitsuru unaffected. "Man- I gotta start exercising more…" She said to break the silence, wiping away sweat as she did. "Oh? If you need I could set you up with a private trainer and-"

"N-no! I'm fine! I'll get used to it!" Dodged a bullet on that one. Mitsuru nodded her head- but seemed a little disappointed Hamuko didn't take the offer. She then started down the hall- Hamuko following behind her like a lost puppy. "So like…" Hamuko started- one thing she always hated was silence, though Mitsuru seemed quite content with or without. "Is he always like that?"

"By he you mean?"

"Oh! Uh-Ree… Uh." She was so bad with names, she cursed herself trying to remember the name she had heard all of five seconds ago. "... Ryuji?"

"Ryoji-"

"Ryoji! Is he always-"

"Pretty much, yes." Mitsuru sighed. "He tried the same trick on me you know- thought he'd know better by now." Mitsuru chuckled. "Other than that he's a pretty good kid I'd say- he cares a lot for people- he's just a little… Forward with woman…" The red head sighed, by now the two had reached the end of the hallway- there was one door left.

"This is the room we have your belongings in, we can change it later on if you want." She reached into her coat pocket- she still hadn't taken it off. "Nah, it should be fine- thank you for helping me though!" Hamuko said with a smile, grabbing the larger bag from the senior as she unlocked the door with a key.

The door swung open slowly enough that the transfer student became impatient and opened it the rest of the way, Mitsuru entered in behind- placing the keys she had just used to unlock the door on the sink next to the door. "This is your room key, don't worry if you lose it i have plenty of duplicates… That being said please keep a good eye on your key at all times."

"You got it!" Hamuko responded, giving a little salute for the sole purpose of 'it's funny'. "Well then, I'll leave you to sort out your own things-" and then the senior walked out, leaving Hamuko alone with her thoughts.

The room was basic, it had a TV, a bed, and one shelf beside the sink. Off to the side of the bed sat two boxes, labeled with her last name. She looked down cast staring at them- she didn't really hold a lot of things dear to her, what was in there was mostly clothing and things like calendars, and desk lamps. She thought she might as well get them un packed before heading to bed- It wasn't like she could given the Dark hour was still going on- she always found it hard to sleep during that time even though she would always feel exhausted after it. Thinking about it her eyes were drawn to the window- the moon that seemed ten times bigger during the hour stared back. "Not Full yet…" She said aloud "But soon-" Those things always attacked then- remembering first time it happened made her shiver.

'_Don't think about that right now Ham, just unpack somethings then head to bed…' _The thought about her mother's untimely death always haunted her when she was alone- and the countless times her dad wouldn't believe her stories of 'an hour normal people can't experience.

She took out a lamp and placed it on the desk, one that actually worked during this time was already plugged in so she left hers plugged out. Mitsuru was kind as well as smart and observant- one way or another she had gotten in contact with Hamuko, it was the first time she actually felt like being able to experience this hour wasn't some kind of punishment by god- though she'd never admit to those feelings.

After the first box was done the dreaded hour finally came to a close, Hamuko let out a long sigh out of both relief and exhaustion, the last thing in that box had been a stuffed dog, it was a little ratty given its age, but it was something that brought her comfort in hard times. She placed it on the bed, then layed there for a solid moment- just thinking about everything before finally slipping into her PJs and heading to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite the early morning Hamuko had no problem rising from her bed, she was giddy and ready to start the new day at this brand new high end school. She briefly fantasized about gourmet meals served at the in school shop as she got into the school uniform that Mitsuru had hung on a hanger for her in the closet. Finishing the outfit she tied her hair back once more and walked out of her room… Just to rush back in to grab her shoulder bag and set of keys to her room and the dorm.

"Ok now that's everything, pens and pencils in the bag, some paper, keys…" she listed, putting the keys in the small pouch in the front and finally heading out the door.

"Nice to see you up nice and early for your school day Hamuko." Mitsuru greeted as Hamuko reached the bottom of the stairs, sitting in the same chair she was in last night- except now she had a cup of what Hamuko could only assume was coffee or some other hot drink, and a book. "No one else up?" The junior asked, Mitsuru shook her head. "Sanada is up, but went out for a morning jog, should be back in around ten minutes." She took a sip. "Of course the others should really be up by now- not good to miss the train."

"I-I could wake them up!" Hamuko chimed in- seemingly excited for the new school year and wanting to go as soon as possible. Mitsuru thought on it, taking another sip before answering. "I'll have Akihiko wake up Mochizuki once he returns from his run, though you could wake up Yukari for me-you'd get to meet her, It'd be killing two birds with one stone."

"No problem!"

"She's two doors down from you, should be easy to find." Mitsuru responded, then started reading her book once again.

She took a deep breath, having just bolted up the stairs a little too quickly. But she knocked- hoping-praying that this was the right room. "Hey are you up? Mitsuru wanted me to wake you up-" She heard grumbling from behind the door- a good sign. "Could I-"

The door was swung open and Hamuko was met with a less than enthusiastic brown haired girl. "I was getting **ready**\- wait- who are you?" She spoke, looking over the new addition to the dorm. "I'm- Hamuko- I moved in last night, I'm actually just like- two rooms over from you." She pointed to the door in the corner. "Oh- you must have come late then-"

"Dark hour." Hamuko quickly responded, The girls facial expression changed to one of discomfort briefly before she responded. "... Sorry I- try to sleep through those, don't really like thinking about it-" She breathed in. "So I bet Mitsuru already told you my name and everything didn't she?"

Hamuko shrugged. "Just mentioned you really- Yukari right?" She asked, she couldn't recall if her last name was mentioned, but Mitsuru's use of her first name this morning was fresh in Hamuko's head. "Mhm-" Yukari nodded. "Last name Takeba- you?"

"Hamuko Arisato!" She beamed. "Nice to see the girls have numbers over the guys for once huh?" Hamuko joked, to her relief Yukari laughed, Hamuko secretly prided herself on her comedy- but Mitsuru didn't seem to laugh much at anything she tried- it was nice to know she still had it. (getting Mitsuru to laugh was now her secret goal)

"Year?" Yukari asked, there was nervousness there but more for the answer. She desperately wanted a girl in her grade- anyone she could talk to, Mitsuru wasn't the most approachable person. Especially if it was girl talk.

"Second- I think Mitsuru said both me, you and Ryoji-" Hamuko stated, only for a long sigh from Yukari to interrupt her."Ugh Ryoji…" Yukari's hands slid down her face as she recalled the boy in question.

"He try to flirt with you too?" The auburn haired girl asked, sarcasm laced in her words as she recalled her own run in with him.

"He flirts with every girl he sees! SO annoying-!" Yukari added, though she sounded upset, she was grinning. Finally someone she could talk to- and that's all she cared about right now. They continued chatting even while they were walking downstairs, the chatting only halted when the familiar red head walked up to them. "I see you two have gotten acquainted." She said. Hamuko chimed back with a happy "Yeah!" But Yukari seemed a little uncomfortable now that the senior was talking, she let out a quiet and quick "Yeah." Before moving to the kitchen to prepare something to eat- as to what, she didn't really care.

Hamuko just looked at Mitsuru, who seemed unfazed and continued on. She went back to her usual seat, taking another sip of tea, while Hamuko was awkwardly left standing alone, practically absorbing the tension emanating from Yukari. The door was swung open as Akihiko finally returned from his run, taking deep breaths and long swigs of water from a (frankly oversized) jug of water. "Was nice out there, still a bit chilly but you can't feel it once you get going." He said through his breaths. "Do you run every morning?" Hamuko asked, as she saw him heading toward the kitchen for what she could only assume was some food. "Try to- sometimes too busy but yeah, why'd you ask?"

"Ah-um-"

"It's good to see you back in a good mood, would you mind waking up our other member?" Mitsuru interrupted, Hamuko silently thanked her- she feared being dragged along on his next run. "Seriously? He's still asleep?" He questioned, but didn't really expect an answer as he headed up the stairs to do what he was asked.

"Now with that taken care of, I should start heading out-" Mitsuru downed the rest of her tea and shoved the book in her shoulder bag. "Try not to be late yourselves." She said eyeing the both of them before leaving. Hamuko was left waving at the door.

"There goes miss important." Yukari said- mixed emotions clear in her voice as she laughed dryly. "She's student council president so she always heads to school a little early." She added, as she took a bite out of one single piece of buttered toast. Which made Hamuko upset. "You can't just eat that- you're gonna be hungry like three hours from now!"

"Hey I- Wait that's what your getting on me about?" Yukari was left dumbfounded, while Hamuko did hear the bitterness in her voice, she decided to let it be. "That's not a suitable breakfast- where the heck do you guys keep the bacon-"

"I'm on a diet-"Yukari interjected immediately, taking another bite of the bread.

"Well now you're on the Ham diet." Hamuko was dead set on this- and in the meantime she could make her own breakfast before heading out. Rummaging around for a fry pan, and making a lot of loud noises, concealed the fact the two boys had joined them. "What is she doing?" Ryoji asked, peeking over the counter, and akihiko grabbed out a single protein bar from the fridge joined him in looking on at… Whatever was indeed going on."Breakfast." Yukari answered, as she finished off the toast she had made.

Now Hamuko knew her way around food… Somewhat- while she grew up she had to make meals for herself, but would always take the easy way out- why make something that'd take twenty five minutes when you could put two things of waffles in the toaster and call that breakfast? But for friends she'd make anything for her friends- and that's what she was gonna do. In a blur she had everything set and ready- a few minutes later she handed each a plate with a well prepared omelette on each. Leaving one plate for her- but first. "Now eat-"

The two boys chowed down and enjoyed but Yukari still seemed dumbfounded. "You know- you didn't have to do this-"

"But I did it anyways!" Hamuko cut the pink clad girl off, wearing a snarky grin before finally digging into her own. "You better eat that- it's made with love and whatever-"

Ryoji upon hearing the word 'love' sprung up. "Hamuko! I accept your confession-"

"I was very clearly talking to Yukari." Hamuko shot him down immediately- and the boy immediately shut up- sulking while eating the rest of his portion. Meanwhile Yukari finally started digging into hers. "Mn- Oh- this is pretty good-" Yukari remarked. "Yeah! I didn't know you were a cook Hamu!" Ryoji chimed in, Akihiko staying quiet. "I wouldn't say I'm a cook but thanks!" She beamed.

"Almost time to head out." Akihiko finally added- putting his dish in the sink to wash later. (or maybe to hand off to some other poor sucker.)" Might as well walk together- so I'll wait till the rest of you are done-you better be a fast walker though." The white haired boy added with a smirk as he headed toward the door.

Ryoji and Hamuko had finished, Hamuko opting to wash the plates and Ryoji dry and put away. (since she couldn't remember where she pulled them from) Yukari on the other hand seemed to be eating as slowly as humanly possible- but she finally took the last bite. Hamuko immediately grabbed the dish from her to clean. "Head to the door- I'll be out there in like two minutes." She said, as she shooed off the others. She breathed in- a huge smile on her face- she was happy to be needed.

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**sorry this ones a lil un eventful- mostly just SEES interacting with eachother**

**also got a review and just want to clear up: Nyx is still in this AU and is just as powerful as she was in the actual game- but she works very differently in this au- i dont wanna spoil too much so ill just stop there. next chapter should be a bit more exciting!**


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